For more than 50 years, a massive concrete grandstand loomed over Goodyear, a relic of a short-lived event center known as the Phoenix Trotting Park.

Located near present-day Cotton Lane and Interstate 10, the park opened in January 1965 as Arizona’s premier harness racing venue. Harness racing features drivers steering horses from lightweight buggies known as sulkies.

“The opening night ceremony had over 12,000 people attend,” said Trevor Freeman, a historian of the Phoenix Trotting Park. “It was a huge kickoff to what the owners thought would be a very successful business.”

The structure included stables, betting windows, a fine-dining restaurant and other amenities. But according to Freeman, its biggest obstacle proved to be accessibility. At the time, Van Buren Street was the only real connection from Phoenix to the racetrack, and with no freeway access, the trip was long and inconvenient. Attendance dropped quickly, and the park closed after just a few years.

For decades, the empty grandstand remained a landmark to drivers heading west on I-10. In 2017, it was demolished.

Now, the site is entering a new chapter. Last year, construction began on Goodyear High School, which opened its doors to students in August. Built on part of the former racetrack property, the city of Goodyear is calling the school a community anchor.

What was once a symbol of unfulfilled potential is now home to a new generation, transforming a piece of Goodyear’s past into a foundation for its future.